Secrets Better Kept Secret
by Nueemann
Summary: People are dissapearing, and nobody suspects anything until anything until something happens to Tasha and Christian, then, Dimitri becomes involved in genetic research, assasinations, and learns just how far the Kings and Queens will do to keep their power.
1. Chapter 1

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**Prologue – In The Shadows**

There was an eerie sense of danger in the air as Dr. Lawrence Gaughlin walked down the sidewalk towards his home. It was quiet, and a full moon hung in the air. But despite these factors, and the two Guardians that flanked him, he didn't feel safe at all. He was due to give a speech about Moroi self-defense in two days at the Moroi Royal Court. He knew it was important, but he couldn't quite focus on it at all. Suddenly, his phone rang.

He pulled it out and had a short but fierce conversation, when he put the phone in his pocket, his near guard looked at him. "Something wrong?"

He shook his head, "No. I don't think so. Just another phone call asking me to give up my foolish struggles about Moroi fighting against Strigoi. It's all a load of bullshit if you ask me."

The Guardian chuckled, "Don't worry. People should think twice before messing with you. After all, you have me and-"

At that moment, the other Guaridan, who had been walking at a safe distance approached, "Hey you two. I think we'd better switch up. I can't see shit out here. And you do have better night vision than me."

Just as the first Guaridan was about to aggree, there was a sound, not a loud one, in fact, it was barely audible. It was quiet pinging sound, like someone hitting metal on metal. Then, the second guardian fell over, a neat hole trickling blood from between his eyes.

"Fuck. Move Doctor, stay just in front of me."

As the two of them ran, a figure suddenly dropped in front of them. It was dressed in all black. Black hoodie, black jeans, black running shoes, and black leather gloves. It easily dodged the Guardian's attack and tripped him. As he fell backwards to the ground, there was a flash of light, and the Guardian now lay bleeding from a large neck wound, and the figure held a dulled grey Shuriken.

"Who the hell are you? And what do you want."

The figure responded, "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. My dear doctor, you know very fucking well why I am here. You have thrice refused to give up. And we have been patient. The time for talking is past. Time to die, Doctor Gaughlin."

The voice was quiet, and distinguishing gender was impossible. Not that it mattered, because only seconds later, the figure delivered a quick gunshot to the good Doctor's head.

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	2. The Email

**Here is the next chapter.**

**I hope I can keep writing this fast!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my characters and plot.  
**

**Chapter One – The Email** – Lissa POV

I walked down the hallway, Rose beside me, thinking about what my future could be like. I could do almost anything I wanted in life, although there was a strong possibility that I would have to become a politician to continue my families legacy. Maybe I would hold on becoming involved with politics and learn some history or math or something like that first. A degree in history could be invaluable when working in politics, and math is something I could easily put on hold.

Suddenly, Rose spoke up. "Lissa, I can feel your anxiety. You need to calm down and stop worrying about your future so much. I agree that you should think about it a bit, but you shouldn't think about it so hard. After all, you can't just plan a road map of your life, there are too many things that could happen by surprise."

I stopped walking and looked at Rose, stunned. She laughed. "Since when did you get so cautious?"

She stopped laughing and put a serious look on her face, "I may not be the most serious person in life, but I do have to watch out for you now. Besides, I have things to worry about too."

I was going to ask what, but she stopped me early, "And no. I am not telling you what I am worried about. I don't need you worrying about me. It'll only make me feel worse."

I smiled, "Alright, I think we can leave it at that then."

"Good. Now, maybe we should start moving again."

I laughed, "Alright. What, are you in a rush to get back for rest or something?"

"No, but I think you need some rest. You have been running all over Court all damn day."

I decided that she was right so I kept on walking. Just as we reached my room, Rose stopped and pulled her phone out of her pocket, answering it and having a short conversation before turning back to me, "Liss, I need to go. Meeting or something about getting you another Guardian."

I stopped opening the door and turned to Rose, "Wait, then shouldn't I be going too?"

She shook her head, "No. The queen is requesting that I approve the Guardian before they meet you for some reason. Odd, considering that she isn't too fond of me."

I laughed, "Well, I suppose that is true. Alright, I'll see you later then."

She nodded, "The Queen is sending two Guardians over to watch the door while I am gone. So they will be here if you need anything."

I nodded and watched as Rose turned on her heel and walked quickly down the hall. Entering my room, I headed straight for the computer to check my email and the news, I was hoping that I had gotten my courses for next semester, but instead a different sort of e-mail awaited me.

First, the address was one I had never seen before, "_GuardianSecFive"._

Second, it's contents were both news and security precautions. I began reading.

_From: GuardianSecFive_

_To: Royal Council Members and Eldest Royal Family Members. (See Attached for Full List)_

_Subject: New Restrictions To Royal Family Members and Report on the Death of Lawrence Gaughlin_

_Attached File(s): 3 Text Documents_

_ To Whom It May Concern,_

_If you are receiving this early copy of our report, it means you are important enough to know about these changes before they enter effect. Please read the two attached reports for a full list of new restrictions and changes, as well as the reason for the changes._

There were three files attached, one was a list of email addresses, one was a list of new security precautions such as never travelling alone, travelling with more Guardians if possible, and new security measures for each individual housing area at Court, and what to do if you lived off-Court.

The third file was a full Guardian written report into the death (Classified by them as an murder.) of Dr. Lawrence Gaughlin. It was written in full detail, describing all known facts, everything about the victim, his two Guardians, his background, upcoming events, etc..

I saw nothing of major interest, so I closed the files and went over to my bed. As I lay down, I thought about how much simpler things used to be, and how the only danger was whether or not your parents would return home safely from business trips. Now, I had to worry about more than ever before, including Rose.


	3. The Reassignment

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter. Thanks to all who read, comment, and subscribe to my stories!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Academy series of books or any associated content (locations, characters, plot lines, etc.) Those are all owned by Richelle Mead.  
**

**Chapter Two – The Reassignment**

I awoke to silence, and, somewhat worried that nobody was in my room, I got up and moved out of the bedroom. I found, of all people, Dimitri, sitting on the couch, reading a book. Well, he Was reading, now he was standing facing me.

"Guardian Belikov, I mean, Dimitri, what are you doing here?"

He sighed, "Rose was reassigned, so I was sent to replace her, and you also have another Guardian that you can meet later."

I was shocked, "Wait, reassigned, to who?"

Dimitri closed his eyes and lowered his head, "She is a member of the Queen's Royal Guard."

My jaw dropped, "She is guarding the Queen Bitch now? How could that have happened?"

Dimitri sighed again, "Recent events have forced the Queen to take measures for her protection, and moving all experienced Guardians to her Guard is part of it. The Guardian she is replacing is being moved to you. So you should know that you are well protected."

Dimitri looked at his watch, "By the way, the Queen wants to see you in about 15 minutes, sorry for not waking you. But I figured you would want the sleep."

I couldn't move, speak, or even close my mouth. I just couldn't believe that Rose had moved to protecting the Queen Bitch, Tatiana herself. Even if it hadn't been her choice, did she protest?

"Wait, did Rose even object? Or did she just take the job?"

"Well, she did ask why she was transferred, but then after it was explained to her, she sort of got over it. I guess she realized objecting wouldn't do her any good."

I sighed, "Well, I guess we should get going. Especially if Tatiana wants to see me."

Dimitri nodded, and after I had a quick shower, we headed off for the Royal housing.


	4. The Meeting

**I am SO very sorry for not updating anything in a while, I have been quite busy with different things, and I needed to get them done first.**

**I know that I promised to try and write more during the summer, but I just haven't been feeling it lately. I will continue at my best speed, but this story is the priority over Uprising. And chapters may not get longer then this. Again, I am VERY sorry! Please forgive me!  
**

**Chapter Three – The Meeting**

The walk to that meeting felt like it took a million years. As I walked, Dimitri close by, I began to feel a sense of sadness for Rose. One minute working for her best friend, the next minute working for the woman she dreaded the most. I had no clue why the queen actually wanted to see me right now. Maybe she wanted to make it clear that Rose was not going to be assigned back to me, or maybe she just wanted to show me who was in control of my future.

As we reached the door, Dimitri opened it and we walked in, after introducing me, he moved to take a position along the wall. As I moved to sit down opposite the Queen, I spotted Rose, in traditional Guardian attire, standing solemnly against the wall. She looked like she was ignoring me, but I somehow doubted it.

"My dear Vasilisa, you no doubt wonder why I have called you here for this meeting. But rest assured, I did not bring you here for any hostile reason. I am simply wondering how your studies are going? Well, I assume?"

I was slightly stunned by the somewhat casual topic she had picked, "Yes, Your Majesty, quite well."

She smiled, "That's good to know. Tell me, did you have any reasonable objection to the recent changes that have been made?"

I knew she was referring to the Guardian reassignments, "No, I suppose they do make some sense."

"Good. Because last thing I need is you worrying about who your Guardians are. So long as they are not incompetent."

That got me a little upset, "Your majesty, are you inferring that I should receive different Guardians?"

She chuckled, "No, of course not my dear. I am only pointing out that if you notice any, ah, problems with your Guardians. Don't hesitate to tell someone, and changes can and will be made. As for others, I am sure that you understand in the wake of Dr. Gaughlin's death, we need to rethink and revamp our protection."

"Oh, I understand Your Majesty. Is there anything else you wish to discuss, or may I go. I have an assignment due for tomorrow at school."

"Ah, of course. You may go." She made a quick gesture with her hand as she stood, and Rose and another Guardian I didn't know walked to her side before turning and leaving the room with her.

**Please let me know what you think so that I know I haven't lost my touch for writing!**


	5. What Just Happened!

**I am starting to realize how criminally short my chapters are, and I REALLY wish I could make them longer, but it has been hard enough for me to write these.**

**Anyways, here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it! Be sure to review and leave comments!  
**

**Chapter Four – What Just Happened?**

Dimitri and I left the Queen's parlor and headed across Court towards housing, I had no clue what I was doing today and wished that Christian was living here with me, but he was staying with his Aunt at the moment, something about "Never setting foot on Court grounds again." After reaching my room, Dimtiri left, pointing out that he needed some rest, and I told him not to worry so much, and that I would be fine in my room.

I was sort of bored, so I just decided to do a bit of research on something for school and watch a bit of TV. As I finished a paragraph, a small alert on my computer told me I had a new email. Oddly enough, this one was from _GuardianSecFive_ again.

_From:GuardianSecFive_

_To:High Ranking Royal Family Members_

_Subject: Further Security Changes_

_Attatched File(s): 1 Text Document_

_Please See Attatched Document_

The file was another list of different security changes as well as several housing changes, none of which involved me. As I got up from my desk, I heard the phone ring. I went over and answered it, and all I heard was a computer voice, "_Attention, ALL Court buildings are now in an emergency lockdown. Please remain calm. Stay in your room and Guardians will arrive shortly to take you to an assigned safe zone._"

Right about then, I started to feel sick. Just as I headed to my bedroom, Dimitri entered the room and ran over to me, "Lissa, you need to come with me. Now."

As I followed him out of the room, I asked, "Wait, what's going on anyways!"

Dimitri calmly spoke without turning around, "Someone just tried to assassinate the Queen."


	6. Aftermath

**This chapter is a little longer, and I think that I am going to get better at writing them. In fact, I only ended this chapter where I did because it seemed like the perfect spot. Maybe not, but here is the chapter**

**NOTE!: I forgot to include the line "Rose is the one who saved my life from that assassin." to the chapter somewhere, it was supposed to be said by the queen. Just assume someone said it, and I might put it in the next chapter!**

**Thanks for reading, and please review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Academy series of books or any associated characters. Those are all owned by Richelle Mead.  
**

**Chapter Five – Aftermath**

After the lockdown had ended, Dimitri took me back over towards my room, and despite me asking for more information about the assassination attempt, he refused to give me any more facts other than the fact that only one person, a Guardian, had died. As he left me in my room and headed away, I went to my computer again.

_Dimitri POV_

As I walked away from Lissa's room, I headed across Court towards the Guardian's Administration building. Arriving there, I found a small meeting in progress, with several Guardian's watching. There were several Council members arguing with each other, and the Queen was nearby. And she was having a quiet conversation with Rose. Unfortunately, I was distracted by the Guardians.

"This is truly ridiculous, there is absolutely no way you will get me to agree to this. It is our job to guard and protect Moroi, it is us who makes the decisions as to who goes where and does what!"

Another Guardian stood, "Yes, but it is also made very clear in Moroi law that the Queen has the final say in any situation. Any attempt to circumvent that is considered an act of treason. You KNOW that!"

The first Guardian stepped back, "Fine. But let the record show that I did not agree with this at all."

The second Guardian chuckled, "Yea, sure. Your voice so far has shown us that."

Just as they finished speaking, the Queen stepped forward, Rose close by.

_Lissa POV_

As I sat down and turned on my computer, I wondered who had tried to assassinate the Queen, and why they had done it. There was no logical explanation. I knew it had to be someone here at Court, there was no way they could have made it on to the grounds and tried this stunt. Security was too tight. Then, as I opened my email again, I found yet another email from that odd address.

_From:GuardianSecFive_

_To:Moroi Council Members, Guardian Council Members, All Active Guardians, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir._

_Subject:Temporary Guardian Reassignments_

_The recent incident involving the attempted assassination of Her Royal Highness Queen Tatiana Ivashkov has resulted in a number of reassignments to Guardians. If your name is on the list below, take note of the changes. Whether they be a new Guardian assigned to you, you being reassigned, etc._

I quickly scanned the list and didn't notice my name or anyone else I knew until I got to the bottom line of the letter.

_As a result of the death of Senior Guardian Nikolai Varisova, the new head of security for the Queen is Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway._

_Dimitri POV_

As the Queen stepped forward, she looked at the Guardians, "Have you come to a decision yet, gentlemen?"

"Yes your majesty. Although an odd choice, and probably not the wisest, we will respect your decision. Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway please step forward."

Rose stepped forward soon found herself face to face with the Guardian Council, "Please repeat after me, "_I, Rosemarie Hathaway. Do solemnly swear to serve the Queen, Her Royal Highness Tatiana Ivashkov, with honor and distinction, as well as serve and protect all those around her at all times. And in any situation necessary, I will put my life on the line, so that even if I die, the Moroi will live on."_

"Rosemarie Hathaway, I now pronounce you head of the Queen's security. Congratulations."

He held out his hand, Rose shook it and simply said, "Thank you." She then turned and moved behind the Queen.

"Well, I do believe I have outstayed my welcome. Thank you for the help, and good day." The Queen quickly tuned and exited, followed closely by Rose and two other Guardians.


	7. The Troubled Mind

**Here's another chapter, this one is a bit longer. Review and let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the VA series or any associated characters, those belong to Richelle Mead.  
**

**Chapter Six – The Troubled Mind**

_Rose POV_

There were a million thoughts running through my mind.

Why was I doing this, and better yet, why wasn't I speaking out against it? True, I am not a fan of the Queen, and I don't really want to serve her, I'd rather be with Lissa. But I suppose that since I am still at Court I am close by and it doesn't matter. Besides, Guardians are supposed to do what they are told, and if I speak out, I will likely be reassigned somewhere far away from Court. And that is not worth it.

Above all else, I have a job. I have to do my best do do it right.

_Alright, enough of that, back to Lissa. I write enough stuff from Rose's POV. (Other Stories.)_

_Lissa POV_

I couldn't believe this, Rose had a job that even I couldn't believe. I had a lot of questions, and no one could answer them. All I knew for sure is that in the last two days, there had been a major death, my best friend had been taken from me, and now the someone tried to kill the Queen. Just as I was beginning to question what exactly I was going to do with my life, my phone rang. And on the other end of it was the last person I expected.

"Lissa, it's Rose. Listen, I know you've heard about what happened, and I just wanted to let you know that I have some time off this evening, and I'm coming to see you. God knows it's the only break I'm gonna get in the next few weeks. Probably in the next two months actually."

I was stunned, "Great. What time are you coming over?"

"Hmm. Probably in about two hours, just after my shift is over."

"Alright, great. Can't wait to see you."

She hung up, and I was thrilled, at least now I might be able to get some answers about what in the hell was happening around here.

_Two Hours Later (Or maybe longer, whatever. Rose is visiting.)_

"Listen Liss, I am really sorry I haven't been over here to see you, but I have been really busy. With all the work I have to do now, I'll have even less free time."

"Oh, it's fine. I understand. I'm surprised that you haven't been bothering the Queen for a reassignment back to me."

She sighed, "Well, that isn't really possible. Any insubordination would lead to me being demoted and sent somewhere far away from Court. Trust me. For now, I can't do anything. Because trust me, if I could, I would."

"Alright. Say, can you tell me anything at all about what is going on?"

She shook her head, "No, not really. If you find out anything, then the Queen will know I told you. And trust me, that would be even worse than the current situation."

"Seriously? The possibility of trouble never stopped you from revealing secrets before."

After a second I noticed the serious look on her face, "Lissa, I know I don't usually take things seriously, but I took an oath to that bitch. And I take that pretty seriously. I can't tell you what is happening with the security issues, but I can tell you something else you might be pleased with."

I sighed, doubting anything could improve my mood. "What do you possibly think could make me cheer up?"

She chuckled and smiled, "Christian and Tasha are coming into Court sometime this week."

I suddenly sat straight up, shocked. "Wait, what!"

"Yea. Tasha made a hastle and got a meeting with the Council over some Moroi self defense issues. She's supposed to give some major speech."

I suddenly thought a bit more highly of Tasha, "Wow, that's pretty cool. I guess it's something to look forward to."

"Yea, I know. There's someone else coming with them too, some Moroi from her area and his Guardian are making the trip with them."

"What, are they giving a speech too?"

Rose laughed, "No, Liss. The Moroi is. Well, engaged to Tasha."

I was shocked again, "Seriously? No way!"

She smiled, "Yea, I know. I couldn't believe it either when I heard about it."

Just as I was about to reply, Rose's phone rang, she answered it and after a short conversation hang up again. "Shit Lissa, I have to go. More paperwork concerning my new job to do. Ugh, I wish I had someone to do it for me."

I shrugged, "It's alright, no big deal. Well, see you later."

She stood up, "Yea, bye."

And just like that, she was gone.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Hey guys, here is Chapter Seven...which has no name...**

**I couldn't think of a name for it, so just think of one if you want.**

**Anyways, I have a strong feeling this story is going to go all sci-fi in the end, if anyone has a serious objection to this, review and let me know.**

**I also noticed a comment (Forget the author, sorry.) about how I don't have a lot of detail, this is very true. I have problems with this. I will try to slow down the story and pad it out with some more detail over time. Thanks to everyone else who reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the VA series or any associated characters, those belong to Richelle Mead.  
**

**Chapter Seven**

Being back in school sucked, I had to admit it. Even though I enjoyed the things I was learning, the actual process of learning them was still as boring as it had been back at St. Vladimir's. But at least now I had Christian and Tasha's visit to look forward to. Arriving back at Court from school, I decided that I should probably work on some work for school before checking email and doing anything on the computer. Just as I sat down to begin drafting an assignment, my phone vibrated, and I checked to find I had a text. From Rose.

_"Christian and Tasha's arrival is day after tomorrow. They are going to be busy their first day here, but Christian knows you want to see him. _;) _Rose."_

I began to feel overjoyed, I now knew when Christian was coming, and I knew that Rose was actually using her job to help me a bit.

After what felt like an eternity of writing, I noticed that it was getting late, and that I should probably go and sleep.

The next day, I decided that I should finish my assignment from the day before, since it was due tomorrow. As I arrived back on Court, I was greeted by Dimitri, and he walked me back to my room before leaving for a short break. Since I had forgotten to check my email the day before, I decided to do it now. And I was immediately worried when I saw another email from _GuardianSecFive, _ and quickly read the title.

_From:GuardianSecFive_

_To:Guardian Council Members, Moroi Council Members, Queen Tatiana Ivashkov, Vasilisa Dragomir_

_Subject:Ozera attack._

_To whom it may concern:_

_Roughly two hours ago, the vehicle carrying Tasha Ozera, her fiancee Paul Conta, and her nephew Christian, was ambushed on a roadside outside of __Pittsburgh. At this moment, we do not know much, but it is clear that the vehicle was stopped by a roadside Improvised Explosive Device, and the driver, Paul Conta, was killed by the explosion. It is also clear that the bomb was meant to kill everyone in the vehicle, but the fourth passenger, Paul's Guardian, led the Ozeras away from the scene. Christian Ozera, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was injured by the blast and is currently being brought to the Court for medical treatment along with Paul's Guardian and Tasha Ozera. Current evidence also suggests that whomever planted the device returned to the site and discovered the failed killing. At this moment, it is being ruled as an assassination attempt, and measures are being taken to further keep Tasha and Christian Ozera safe._

_Respectfully Yours,_

_GuardianSectorFive_

I was stunned. I couldn't move. Who had tried to kill Tasha and Christian, and why had they done it? What good would have been gained from it? All these questions went unanswered over the next few days. As I waited for any news on what was happening.

_Two days later._

I was really worried. I had no clue what condition Christian was in, or whether or not Tasha had given her speech yet. The only thing I knew for sure was that the two of them were indeed at Court. I wanted to see Christian, but Dimitri said the only person that was being allowed to visit him was Tasha, and since I wanted answers, he decided that I should go and see her. After no argument, we headed across Court towards Guest Housing.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Here's the next chapter. Some people think the story moves fast, well here's a long chapter for you. It's as well written as I can do and it's long because I haven't written anything in the last two days and I HAD to get this out.**

**Also, for anyone who does think I am progressing fast, you call it speedy, but I call it EFFICIENCY! ;)  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Academy Series or any associated characters. Those belong to Richelle Mead.**

**P.S. - Please remember to review and give me some feedback so I can make changes.  
**

**Chapter Eight  
**

Dimitri and I quickly headed across Court towards Guest Housing, and I really wondered why they built it so far away from the town housing. As we headed up to Tasha's room, Dimitri headed forwards ahead of me, undoubtedly so that he would reach her room first. As he knocked on the door I hurried over to catch up with him, and he turned to me for a split second.

"Let me do the talking, it'll be much easier."

I simply nodded and waited a second before the door opened and Tasha stood there, looking more surprised than ever.

"Dimka!" She shouted, startled. She quickly jumped onto him and hugged him tightly, "It's nice to finally see a friendly face around here." She turned to me after a moment, "And Lissa, why are you here?"

Dimitri quickly took over, "Oh, she had a few questions about, well. You know."

Understanding flashed in her eyes, "Ah, I see. Well, you better come in."

We walked calmly into the room as Tasha waited and closed the door behind us. She headed into the kitchenette area and asked us if we wanted a drink. Neither of us did, so she got some water and headed towards us.

As she moved over and sat down on the couch, she spoke rather fast, "So, Dimka. What have you been up to? I have a lot to ask, but first." She turned to me, "What did you want to know."

I was slightly startled at how quick she was to ask me, but I responded anyways, "Well, how is he doing? What sort of condition is he in?"

She sighed, "Well, most of the injuries are to his left leg and part of his lower chest. The Guardians who checked the scene said the bomb went off on on the driver's side of the car, but they think it was supposed to detonate under the gas tank. So in short, his left leg is in really bad shape, but the rest of him isn't too bad. They say he should be fine in the long run."

I breathed a big sigh of relief, "Well. That's really nice to know. Dimitri, I hate to ruin your visit, but I should probably get back. I know we haven't been here long, but-"

Dimitri held up his hand, "No need to explain. Besides, I can always come back again when you are at your room."

I smiled, "Alright then, shall we go now."

Dimitri gave Tasha a short kiss on the cheek, "I'll be back in a few minutes, don't worry."

She smiled as we headed out the door.

_Several Minutes Later – Dimitri POV_

I had no clue what I was going to talk to Tasha about, but I knew I had to say something. It had been a long time since I had seen her, and I know she probably had a few things to say to me. As I approached her room, I though I heard a tearing sound, so I approached the door slowly, and as I moved closer, I heard voices. Both were quiet and slightly distorted.

"So, what are we supposed to do with her?"

"You remember the orders, leave the note and take her into the woods"

I hear muffled cries for help and guess Tahsa was gagged or something. It was at that point I kicked the door open. What stood before me was slightly frightening.

Tasha was laying on the floor, her legs and arms tied up and a rag stuffed in her mouth.

There were two figures, one was shorter than the other. Both had helmets and heavy vests on, both had gas masks on, and even more distressingly, both had what looked like automatic weapons and grenades.

The shorter figure spoke, "Shit! Take care of him, I've got her. Remember the code."

That person promptly grabbed Tasha and jumped out the window, shattering it on the way out. This made me suspect it was a Strigoi or something odd of that sort, because the windows at Court were reinforced.

Problem was however, I had no time to think about it. Because the second person raised their weapon and opened fire. I ducked behind a wall, knowing it would help me a bit, but the gunfire tore through it like a hot knife through butter. After a second though, they stopped firing. I heard a thud and they immediately smashed through the wall with their hands and punched me in the stomach. And I had to say, it _hurt_.

I tried to start dodging the attacks but it was futile, whatever this person was, they were well trained in hand to hand fighting and were obviously stronger than me. However after a second, I managed to get an upper hand when I grabbed them around the neck and tore their mask off. What was underneath surprised me even more. It was a Moroi, or I think so anyways. They had pale skin, but not pale enough for a Strigoi, and there was colour in her green eyes. She looked to be about 25 to 30 and that wasn't the most odd thing.

As I continued fighting, sidestepping where possible and getting in a good punch or two, I was astonished at the strength she had. Normally any Moroi attempting this would end up with a broken ribcage and a few other broken bones. But she wasn't even flinching from half my attacks. After I managed to score a good hit on her face, she stepped back and grabbed her gun. I was quick to move forward and attempt to wrestle it from her. After a very tough fight, I got it and shot both her legs out.

As I sat down for a moment and replayed the last few moments in my head, I couldn't remember anything that might help me identify who or what had done this. Since I couldn't think of anyone else, I called the only other Guardian I could trust, Rose. Dialing her number as fast as I could remember it, she answered quickly.

"Hello?"

"Rose, it's Dimitri." I replied, out of breath.

"Dimitri, what's wrong?"

"Someone just took Tasha from her room and I have someone. Or rather something here on the floor that I need help with. Could you come and help me out?"

"Oh sure, be there as fast as I can. I'll inform the Queen as well."

I leaned back against the wall and thought long and hard again, and after a minute, I got something. I replayed the point when the first person jumped out the window and remembered something. A gun. A gun had slipped and fallen from their belt. I rushed over to the window and after a second, found it under some Plexiglas and wood.

It looked brand new. It was silver, with a set of four tally marks etched into the slide. That looked like the only unique detail of it. When after a second I noticed a shape engraved into the handle. It was a flowing intricate design, and was beautifully detailed. It was also coloured with what looked like blood.

Unfortunately, it was the actual shape that I was shocked and confused by.

It was a flower.

_A rose._

_"Oh Shit."_ I immediately thought. I have to get out of here. Just as I got up to leave, Rose appeared in the doorway. Wearing the same uniform I saw only moments ago, but without the mask and helmet.

She smiled wide, "Ah Dimitri, I see you found my gun."

As I prepared to aim it at her, she pulled another one from her belt and shot me. As I thought my life was over, I realized it wasn't a bullet. I realized after a quick drowsy feeling that it had been a tranquilizer dart.

**That chapter had some MAJOR plot in it, and I am sorry but I HAD to get it written or I would have been driven mad.**

**Remember to Review, and thanks for reading. I just hope that you all liked this chapter! :)  
**


	10. Nine

**Well, here's the next chapter you guys have been asking for. I know some of you are confused on Rose's posistion here, so this chapter explains a bit of backstory.**

**Please remember to keep on reviewing so I can improve the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the VA series or associated content, it's owned by Richelle Mead.  
**

**Chapter Nine**

I awoke with some confusion, obvious since I had no clue where I was. All I remembered was Rose firing a dart at me and me getting knocked out. When my eyes adjusted, I assessed my surroundings.

First, I was handcuffed to a chair, rather obvious since I couldn't move.

Second, the room had sort of a cold military feel to it. It was all metal, from the walls and ceiling, to the door, and even my chair. It was also cold in the temperature sense, I was almost shivering.

There was little hope of escaping, because even if I wasn't restrained, there was only one incredibly heavy looking door and no windows in the room.

All my thoughts came to a quick stop when the door opened with a hiss of air and Rose stepped in wearing normal Guardian attire, for Court anyways, closely followed by a Moroi in a lab coat.

She smiled, "Dimitri. How you feeling?"

I looked her in the eyes, "Well, aside from being drugged and pulled in here, fine. You?"

She sighed and frowned, "Not very well. Because of your little interruption, we've had to take a few precautionary steps. Including detaining everyone who was staying in that Guest building. They may have to be terminated thanks to you." She chuckled, "The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world."

I started to get angry, "Well, perhaps you could at least tell me what in the hell is going on since I am likely to die soon."

She smiled, "Well don't worry. Your death won't be in vain. See, we have been in short supply of Dhampir blood, and yours will certainly be excellent material."

The Moroi, silent thus far, spoke up. "Uh, Miss Hathaway, please remember that the compatibility rate is only about 25 percent. Although we do hope to improve it with more research."

Rose grinned, "Sorry I forgot Doctor, I will be sure to let death row inmates know that they are dying simply for what they've done."

I gasped for a second, "Wait, death row? What have I done!"

She laughed, "Aside from assaulting a member of the Queen's Royal Guard and The Enlightened, you also interrupted an operation important to keeping the peace in our world."

"Wait, 'The Enlightnened'? What did Tatiana finally lose her last hair of sanity?"

Rose laughed for a few seconds, "Dimitri, we have been around since long before Tatiana's rule. The Enlightened have been serving the Monarchy for over 300 years. We were created a very long time ago under the rule of one King Lazerus Ozera, who had the curious problem of people trying to assassinate him every few days. So, he created assassins to hunt the assassins. And ever since we have sworn to keep the peace whatever the cost. Only recently certain events evolved us into The Enlightened."

"How long have you been doing this?"

She smiled, "Oh, I was chosen when I entered early Guardian training, but I began service when I began Guardian service. Only recently things have gotten a lot busier. What with the research and everyone speaking up for Moroi self defense. It's really gotten hectic."

I was having a hard time processing all this information. All I really understood was that there were a group of Dhampir Guardians and Moroi serving the Queen as assassins, and they were killing off people like Tasha and Doctor Gaughlin. Those who tried to reform anything without being elected to either the Council or the actual Monarchy.

"Dimitri, if you have another question, make it quick. The good doctor here needs a blood sample, and they're easier to take while you're nice and drowsy."

I decided to see if this would get me an answer I understood, "What sort of research are you doing, and where are we?"

She grinned, "All you need to know is that we are underground in a laboratory complex, and it is near the Court. This room can be made airtight, so if you try to leave, then we will gas you very quickly. There are only a few prisoners here, and Guards watch the cameras 24/7. As for the research, it's mostly things you wouldn't have the education to understand. Now, sweet dreams."

The Moroi doctor with her came over and injected me with something, and I passed out in a few seconds.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Well, here's the next chapter.**

**I know some of you may not be pleased, but I feel I rushed out some of the story in this one, although I think it is more rushing plot points out instead of rushing the story forwards.**

**So, I hope you all enjoy this, thanks for reading and please continue to read and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy or associated content, that belongs to Richelle Mead.**

**P.S - I may be doing a chapter of Uprising soon, since I have been feeling guilty about not updating it. Only time will tell.  
**

**Chapter Ten**

The next few days passed at a painfully slow pace.

It was the same routine, I would be restrained in my cell, if you wanted to call it that, for most of the day, except when I was taken for about 20 minutes every day to eat, then it was straight back to my cell. Most of the rooms I was in outside of the cell were the same sterile, military style metal corridors.

This routine was broken when I was visited one day by Rose, but she wasn't alone.

She walked in followed closely by a Moroi, but it wasn't that doctor that followed the last time, it was the one I had fought with and heavily injured only a few days ago. Except now, she looked perfectly fine. There was no limp to her walk, and there were no visible bandages. She almost looked like an entirely normal Moroi, except her face was more serious than any other Moroi I'd ever seen. Then there was the mark on her right forearm.

It looked like a tattoo, but it was...different.

Rose smiled, "Eyeing Marissa's brand? Don't worry, you'll never get one."

I kept eyeing it closely, "What is it?"

It was an insignia or something, it consisted of a shield with two swords layed over it and a crown on the top, as well as a shadow stretching behind it.

"It's her brand. It identifies her as one of us. And if you are curious, it's burned into her arm."

I understood the point of having something for the people in this group to identify one another, but. Wait, "Did you say it's _burned_ into her arm?"

Rose smiled sadisticly, "Oh, yes. It is burned in with Moroi fire magic. It's an old and ancient spell. Long way back, families used to use it to brand their family crests into their Guardians. But when Guardian numbers dropped, and reassignments became highly likely, it became a waste of time to do it."

I was intrigued by this, and even moreso by the fact that Tatiana's supporters were using their magic for something. But I knew she didn't come here for small talk, "Rose. Why are you really here?"

Her smile dissapeared and she turned serious, "Extesive testing has revealed that your blood is a match, and your genetics are perfect for our research. There's no easy way to say this, but you are going to die very soon."

I sighed and had to work very, _very_ hard to hide my shock. "So, how soon is that?"

She smiled, "I have no clue. The doctors aren't too keen on letting their suppliers in on their schedules. Let's just say we'll know when it happens."

I decided that if I was going to die, I was going to find out what they were doing with my blood first. "So, what exactly is my death going towards?"

Rose smiled wide and chuckled, "Two things. One is a series of projects to create people like Marissa here. The other, is a permenant solution to the Strigoi problem."

"Well Rose, educate me as to how both of these things work."

"Well, let's start with Marissa here. She's an orphan, both her parents killed in a Strigoi attack. She was working a low level office job here at Court, but she wanted revenge. The Queen noticed, and she was brought in. Using several serums derived from blood of Humans, Moroi, and Strigoi, the researchers here have augmented Marissa's bone density, muscle strength, eyesight, reflexes, and treated her weakness to sunlight. She is essentially a mix of every one of our races all in one. The perfect hunter."

Marissa smiled, and I couldn't imagine what sort of things were going through her mind.

"So what, my blood is going to make more Moroi like her?"

Rose chuckled, "Not entirely. Part of your blood will go to the Guardian's Advanced Research and Training Program, better known as GuardianSecSix. The other part will go to the Dhampir and Moroi Research into Strigoi Extermination Program, better known as DAMISEP or GuardianSecSeven."

"Which is, I'm guessing, working on that permanant solution you mentioned?"

She chuckled, "Yes. It is going into research on creating a serum that will make our blood 100% toxic to Strigoi. It will mean that they would starve if they tried to feed from us. This means that they would stay weaker when they are turned, and when someone tries to turn from killing a Dhampir or Moroi, they'd be dead almost instantly."

I sighed, "I can't help but say that is almost reasonable. But how will you know if it's harmful to Moroi in the long run?"

She laughed, "Oh, Dimitri. Don't worry about that. This serum will not be introduced for at least another three years. The researchers are predicting that it will take roughly another six to seven months for a stable prototype to be developed. Then, it's only a matter of time and testing. At least one year of testing on a variety of volunteers. Now, I have time to answer you one more question, what else you want to know?"

I thought for a few moments. I wanted to know dearly how Lissa was doing, but I also had another question about Lissa I needed to ask.

"Lissa was recieving emails from GuardianSecFive, what's that supposed to be?"

"The Department of Guardian Espionage and Information Distribution. Some people might call it by the name 'The Propaganda Ministry'. Now, Marissa is going to stay here and have a little chat with you for a few moments."

Rose turned to leave and when she reached the doorway, she stopped and turned with a slightly disgusted look on her face, "Oh, and by the way Dimitri, Lissa is fine."


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Well, here's the next chapter, I have no clue if I am going in the right direction with this.**

**This chapter is a LOT of dialogue and NO action, and the next chapter may not be much action either. But there will be a showdown somewhere in the future.**

**I am not really sorry for taking a while to write because these chapters are getting longer. On average of 1,000 words each, and regular readers of my stories know that's a lot for me.**

**Disclaimer: NO I don't own the Vampire Academy Series, that belongs to Richelle Mead.**

**Chapter Eleven**

As Rose left, I wondered what she meant when she said Marissa was going to have a conversation with me. At the moment, all she was doing was standing there eying me. With me being handcuffed, I couldn't get up so all I did was hand my head and pretend I was tired. Of course, it wasn't easy with her staring at me.

All of a sudden, there was this strange sensation, like hot and cold flashes that came and passed very quickly. It was like someone was touching my mind, and after a moment or two Marissa, as Rose had called her, started to chuckle.

"You really care for her that much? She is a murderer, and does whatever is asked of her."

I looked up, "What in the hell are you jabbering on about?"

She looked me straight in the eyes, "I've been going through your memories. I just cannot believe you care for Rose that much. Ever since I have met her all she has done is killed people the Queen perceives as threats, supply the researchers with fresh Strigoi and Human corpses for projects, and threaten to kill anyone who harms Vasilisa."

I was very confused. First, her going through my memories made no sense, until I began to suspect her as a Spirit user. Second, this sounded almost nothing like the Rose I knew, the one who was slightly sarcastic and only violent occasionally due to Spirit's side effects.

"I don't understand. Rose has never been that violent, or that loyal to the Queen. What's going on?"

She sighed, "I don't really know. I suspect it all has something to do with the experiments they keep doing on her. Or something to that effect."

"What sort of experiments are they doing? And are you a Spirit user?"

She chuckled, "Trust me, you don't want to know what they are actually doing. Their experiments have a high. Ah. "Failure" rate, if you know what I mean. And yes, I am a spirit user. But trust me, you don't want to know what's in that girl's mind. It is pretty messed up shit."

I sat up straight from shock, "Try me. How messed up can it be?"

She frowned, "Well. When I was in there, she was thinking of about eight or nine different things at once. Including "What have I done?", "Is there any way I can stop this?", "How is this truly helping Lissa?" and a few others. But then, after a few seconds one thought comes into her mind, and it stays."

She turned and walked to the wall and then started leaning against it, and I asked "What thought exactly is that?"

She looked directly at me again, "I must remember the basic rule of being a Guardian, _They Come First._ And the Queen comes above all others. And then there is my basic rule. There are only _two_ groups of people on this earth, _Targets, _and _Everyone Else_. And the only thing to remember, is that Targets _ALWAYS_ die."

I just sat there for a few seconds stunned. She was right. Rose obviously wasn't doing to well mentally. And so I decided to move on to something else, "So what sort of things have they actually done to her?"

"Well, aside from increase her already excellent physical condition. She is stronger, has better eyesight, reflexes, and has one little oddity that no other subjects showed."

I could only imagine what it was, "And what exactly is that?"

"Put it this way. Never fight her in direct sunlight. She is almost unstoppable. She seems to draw strength directly from sunlight. Even I don't understand exactly how it works, and I am one of the research assistants when they aren't examining me. Personally, I think Rose is the most devoted zealot here. And personally, between us, she scares the shit out of me."

"Wow. She's borderline insane isn't she."

"No, she just doesn't know the difference between right and wrong anymore, morally speaking of course. And to tell you the truth, I would leave this place in a second, if I knew I had the slightest chance to make it out, and I'd take you with me. But this place is crawling with other Guardians and when it's not filled with other people, it's full of automated security. Cameras, heat sensors, laser tripwires, and above ground, it's surrounded by a minefield. Trust me, getting out of here alive is impossible unless they want you out of here. This place is pretty much the underground Wolf's Lair ."

I leaned back in my chair and thought carefully about what she had just said to me.

She clearly didn't like being here or doing these things for the Queen, but she couldn't leave. Then after a few moments of silence, I had an idea.

"How am I to be executed? If they want my blood for research, it seems that lethal injection would be rather stupid. And a lot of other ways would just lead to me bleeding out and the blood going to waste. I am guessing I'll be shot, or something like that?"

She chuckled, "Yea, there is a small above ground section to this base, and the structures include a firing range for killing prisoners. You'll be taken up there and shot in the head, then decapitated and sent back down to the labs."

"Well, if you wanted to escape and take me with you, why not do it then? There likely won't be anyone to stop us, except any Guardians up there and the executioner."

She sighed and frowned, "Which will be Rose."

I looked up at her, "Wait, what?"

She nodded, "It's to be Rose's final test of loyalty to the Queen, when that's done, Rose will be the first one of us to reach "True Enlightenment". Which, if I understand correctly, means she'll be turned into an inhuman super soldier that has one purpose in life. Kill. She will do whatever she needs to sneak around and kill anyone the Queen wants, which is why we need to kill her first."

I opened my mouth to protest, but she was quick to stop me, "Look, Dimitri. I know you care deeply for her, but you just can't let it get in the way. She has to die. There is no way to save her now. Unless, well no. There isn't."

I stared at the ceiling for a second, "Wait, what do you mean. Is there some way to reverse what they've done to her?"

She looked at the floor, "Well, I believe that, while most of the researchers are working on the two main projects, there is a third one, or so I believe. There is supposed to be a much smaller team headed by Dr. Viktor Tsolakis, and they are working on another serum. One that reverses the effects of the other researcher's experiments. It's to be used to "Decommission" unloyal Guardians who fail their tasks. If they have developed a stable prototype, then we could use it on Rose. But they haven't gotten too far yet. And they may not be done by the date of your execution."

"Well try damn it! If you can get that shit, then do it. We'll use it, take Rose and get the hell out of here. If not." I sighed and hung my head low, "Then I will kill her."


	13. Chapter Twelve

**This is a really short chapter, but I wrote it specifically to set up the next one. The break out chapter. I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.  
**

**Chapter Twelve**

The next few days resumed my schedule of sitting in my cell alone and leaving only to eat. I was informed that my execution was in two days time, and I was hoping that Marissa had found that damn chemical and she would keep up to her end of the deal. The next day, she came back for another talk.

She walked in the door very quickly and made her way over to me. "Listen, I have to make this quick, so don't argue with me and don't resist me."

When I was about to ask her what she was talking about, she moved behind me and pulled my shirt down a bit, then there was the unbearable pain of a needle jabbing into my left shoulder.

"AH!" I screamed, "What in the hell are you doing!"

She sighed, "Look, the doctor's may not have that serum done in time, and we are going to need all the help we can get."

"So what, you are going to make me as crazy as Rose is?"

She spoke again shortly after doing the same thing to my right shoulder, "No. This will make you as strong as Rose. She is clinically insane because of a combination of factors, including the darkness from Lissa's Spirit use, having to work for the Queen, the murders she's commited, and other things of the like. Trust me, you are going to feel a lot more powerful after these things take effect. Now listen, you have to trust me. This is the ONLY way we are going to get out of here alive. If we can knock Rose out, we will. We are not going to purposely kill her. Now, this one is going to hurt a LOT more, and you'll probably pass out from it.

After a millisecond of guessing, I knew in an instant why she said it would hurt more. This needle went directly into my spine. And I passed out in another second.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Well, here's Chapter Thirteen, I am sorry it took so fucking long for me to finish it. I'll briefly explain.**

**I went to write it about three or four days ago and finished about half of it. But then I stopped for something, and when I tried to write two more times I just couldn't or was trying to multi task. Turns out I can't. **

**I am sorry if this seems to be more schizophrenic or rushed in terms of pacing than most of my writing, but I was sort of trying to get it done. Oh well, it's done now. So I can take a break before working on Chapter 14...**

**Please remember to review and just keep in mind I don't own Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead does.**

**Chapter Thirteen**

As I awoke in a haze of drowsiness and pain coming from my back, I tried to sit up, and found I could do so easily. As I opened my eyes, I found Marissa standing in the far corner of the room.

"Good, you're awake. I hope that the pain has passed. I need you ready for action in twenty minutes."

I sat and thought for a second. I did feel the pain, but for some reason, it didn't bother me. As I looked at Marissa again, I noticed something was different.

Like the fact there was a gold sheen outlining her body.

"What in the fuck?" I muttered to myself. "Marissa, what exactly does an aura look like to you?"

She looked surprised, probably not expecting a question like that. "Well, it's like a colour outlining a person's body. Sort of like a shadow."

"Oh, alright. Then explain to me why I can see your's, and why the excruciating pain from my spine isn't actually bothering me."

She looked stunned and slightly afraid, "Oh, shit." She looked down to the floor and shook her head, "This isn't right."

I just stared at her. "What, did you give me Spirit's powers?"

She looked at me, "This makes no sense, I just noticed your aura changed. It's like a mix of every colour together. Including Gold."

I began to feel strange. It was a worrying feeling that something was wrong. Wait a second.

"Marissa, I think I am recieving your feelings? What's going through your mind."

She looked even more stunned, "Well, I am shocked. I wasn't expecting any of this stuff to happen, and I suppose I am really worried that something is really wrong with you."

So, I was partially right. I was feeling the worry, but not the shock. But that wasn't the weirdest thing.

I was starting to feel stronger. I mean, I felt stronger than before when I woke up, but now I was feeling really strong. Almost as strong as Strigoi are.

"Don't get too worried, I don't think there is anything seriously wrong with me. I'm pretty sure I'll be fine for now."

The worrying feeling that was in my mind started to fade ever so slightly, and she looked at me. "Oh, good. Maybe we can get out of here after all. We might be alright."

I started to feel thristy, and licked my lips, I felt a sharp pain in my tounge. At first, I thought I had just bit it, but then I realized it was something even worse.

I had fangs.

"Marissa, you think me having some of Spirit's abilities is odd, explain why in the _FUCK_ I have FANGS!"

She looked up from the floor and quickly strode over to me. She stopped, "Open you mouth. Now."

I opened my mouth as wide as I could, "Oh, this really isn't right."

Before we could discuss any further however, there was a loud clicking sound and a beep from the door. It was the sound of the locking mechanism.

Marissa headed to the corner and leaned against the wall as I closed my mouth and silently sat there waiting.

Rose entered alone and quickly pulled a gun before heading towards me.

"Rose, I thought you were waiting until 9:00 to get rid of him." Marissa sounded genuinely surprised, and I could feel her unease.

Rose chuckled, "Yea, well plans change. And the science team had a bit of an accident." She smiled, "Suffice to say they don't need him any more. And they don't exactly need you either. But we'll get to that later."

"So what, you're just going to kill him right here?"

She stopped walking and raised the gun in the air for a few seconds, "You know what. I was, but it'll make a mess, and the Queen is going to need the cell. Someone was asking too many questions. Now, undo his cuffs and let's get him up to the surface. You know what, never mind. I'll just put him to sleep, make this easier."

In a split second, Rose was by my side, she quickly slammed the handle of the gun into my head, hoping to knock me out cold. Unfortunately, the changes my body had undergone made that gesture seem like a small child trying to injure me. I looked up at Rose, and as I did, I found myself overwhelmed by various thoughts, and it only took me a second and Rose's stunned look to realize I was going through her mind. I quickly turned away and closed my eyes, this was followed by Rose's quick "What in the hell?" remark before there was a loud bang followed by Rose's voice again.

She screamed in pain and followed with "What in the fuck are you doing?"  
I looked over to see Rose lying on the floor clutching her knee and Marissa holding a gun to her head.

Rose laughed, "You know what, go ahead. Kill me. All it'll do is drive Lissa insane, and get you killed. Think about what you are doing."

I started to feel stronger again, and not really thinking about what I was doing or where the strength came from I decided that the Rose I knew was dead, and quickly broke free of the handcuffs that had been holding me to the chair. I pushed Marissa out of the way and took the gun from her. Aiming it at Rose I she looked up at me and all I could do was look at her. Her face had a look of horror and shock frozen on it.

I laughed, "You know what, I won't kill you. Marissa, go open the door."

She was quick to do as I asked, and I grabbed Rose by her hair and dragged her over to the now open door. I let her go when we reached the hallway and looked down at the floor. The wound in her knee left a trail of blood all over the floor. I decided I wasn't going to let Rose bleed to death.

I took her jacket off, and had to fight her still impressive strength as she tried to stop me. I tore both sleeves off and used one to tie her hands behind her back. I tied the other one around her leg to stop the bleeding. Standing up I said quickly, "If you take that off, you're going to bleed to death. And I know you don't want to die." I turned to Marissa, "Come on. Let's get out of here."

As I headed down the hallway, I passed the gun to Marissa and looked at my hands. They had a fair amound of blood on them, and I was overcome by an urge I couldn't ignore. I let a few drops of blood fall from my hands into my mouth and tasted it. And, despite my usual disgust to Moroi drinking it, it seemed different now.

Besides, it tasted sweet and _very delicious._


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Here's the next chapter. I really hope you all continue to read and support me through this story!**

**Disclaimer: All Vampire Academy content belongs to Richelle Mead.**

**P.S. - I have decided that, as a little quiz of sorts, I am going to post some lyrics from a song at the end of each chapter. Points for whoever puts the song title in their review! (Points aren't actually worth anything, but I am going to post it anyways.)**

**Chapter Fourteen**

As I tore my mind from the taste of Rose's blood, I kept walking down the hallway, passing cell after cell with Marissa following me closely. I turned to her as we reached the end of the hall.

"So, you know the way out of here, you'd better start leading."

She looked at me and just shook her head, "No, I don't think we can get out of here. There are just too many Guardians. Unless we could stop by the Armory on the other end of this area. It's got enough weapons and explosives to fight our way out of here. There should also be a few of our uniforms in there, the armor would be extremely helpful."

I sighed, "Well, lead the way. Let's get moving."

She nodded and we proceeded across the facility, passing by labs and beating the shit out of the few Guards that got in our way, although some of them seemed to put up more of a fight than a normal Guardian would.

"Tell me, are all of these Guardians a part of that group of yours?"

Marissa laughed, "These aren't Guardians, they aren't even Dhampir, they are all human. They're mercenaries."

I looked at Marissa, slightly stunned, "That doesn't make much sense, do any of these guys know what's actually going on here?"

She shook her head, "Nope. They are all ruthless mercenaries, and none of them have any families. The facility's administrator was sure that if any of them died, nobody would go asking questions about it."

I sighed, "I'm guessing you guys didn't want to risk anybody noticing that their Guardians were missing, and the Queen wouldn't risk her Guardians for it?"

Marissa shook her head, "No. It was actually requested by the administrator that we don't use Guardians, that way none of them would ask questions about what happens here. Plus he noted that there was a large shortage of Guardians already, so wasting more of them here wasn't possible."

I stopped walking and turned to her, "Tell me, who is this administrator you are referring to? Is he a Guardian, or another Moroi?"

"Well, technically he's neither. His race doesn't really have a name."

I shook my head, "What, is he another thing like you and Rose?"

She sighed, "No. Nobody really knows what he is. All they know is that he was a Moroi for 45 years of his life, then he changed. He generally keeps to himself, and not a damn person here knows what he looks like. You saw the uniforms me and Rose wore, he has one of those things on all the time. I think he even sleeps in it."

I turned and kept walking, "Well, that's enough about that. Are we close to the armory yet?"

She nodded, "Yes, just down the hallway to the left I believe."

We turned and headed down a short hallway, then we came to a heavy door like the one on my cell. Marissa approached it and quickly entered the code, which looked fairly long. Then, the door beeped and opened. What I was confronted with surprised me.

The massive room was filled with a bewildering array of weapons. Handguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, shotguns, grenades, knives, and other explosives. As well as some armored uniforms that looked exactly like the ones Rose and Marissa had worn before.

Marissa smiled, "Well, take what you can. And be sure to take the lighter uniforms. They provide good protection and if you wear a regular jacket over them, you can look rather inconspicuous. We'll need that later."

I nodded and began putting on one of the lighter suits she had suggested. I had been wearing just boxers, jeans and a t-shirt for the last few days, so it was good to get out of them. The armored kevlar combat pants fit snugly and the vest fit just as well. They felt fairly light, and I took a jacket and was pleased to notice that, just as Marissa said, it fit well over the vest, and looked normal. I looked to Marissa to notice she was just finishing with her clothing and had the same as me, plus a neckguard and helmet. She then started selecting weapons and was quick about it. Instead of selecting from the array of them on racks along the wall, she moved to one of several safes along the far wall. She input a code and opened it to reveal a scoped rifle, several grenades I realized as smokebombs, a pair of supressed handguns similar to the one I had found before Rose attacked me, and a gas mask. She took all of the equiptment and moved to another safe along the far wall. Smiling, she input it's code and turned to me.

"I should've mentioned this, these safes were obviously for our personalized weapons. And this one is no different, Rose did plan to let you in on this. Although she would never make you do the sort of things she has, she wanted you to help with the Strigoi hunting, and so she had this locker prepared for you."

As she opened the door, she spoke again, "And as I had hoped, they didn't empty it."

I was stunned and slightly amused by it's contents. I noticed that the door of each safe door had someone's name and a nickname on it. Marissa's said _Marissa "Bloody Mary" Corshivall_ and Rose's said _Rosemarie "The Rose" Hathaway_, mine said _Dimitri "Siberian Wolf" Belikov_.

Marissa smiled, "You like it?"

I laughed, "Yea, kind of."

I looked at the weapons inside. It had a large weapon, two handguns, grenades, and a gas mask like Marissa's, but the weapons were different. The large weapon was I suspect a modern version of the old AK-47 assault rifle, no doubt a play on my home, and the handguns were massively sized, with no suppresors. The grenades were also painted red and had the words "Incindeary Device MK. 41" printed on them in black. This clearly noted that they were a firebomb style grenade.

"Obviously these aren't made for stealth like yours." I laughed again.

Marissa laughed as well, "Not really no. These were, again, supposed to be used to help you hunt Strigoi. But they'll be even better for getting out of here. Now come on, let's go."

I grabbed the two handguns and, noting their weight, I put them into the two holsters in the combat pants. I also grabbed the rifle and took note of the handy scope mounted on top before using the sling and throwing it over my back. I also took the grenades, some ammunition, put on the gas mask and grabbed a helmet.

Marissa did the same but grabbed a shotgun from the wall. "Hey, this rifle is good outdoors, but crap in here."

I nodded, and as Marissa finished loading the shotgun and cocked the slide she turned to the door, "Right, now let's get the fuck out of here."

**Love it? Hate it? Please review and let me know!**

**Song Quiz! - Put the song title in your review!**

_Caress the one, the Never-Fading  
Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow  
Caress the one, the hiding amaranth  
In a land of the daybreak._

**Good luck to whoever tries to guess this!**


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**I know that some of you will likely think that this story is taking a corner at 4th and bananas here in a second after you read this chapter, but I can always rewrite it if you don't like it. So having said that, if you all review this chapter and obviously don't like where it's going, just let me know and I will change it.**

**Also, the song from that last chapter was Amaranth by Nightwish, I know that it's not a well known song, but it's one of my favorites! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Academy series or any associated characters, those belong to Richelle Mead.**

**Chapter Fifteen**

I had half expected us to just shoot our way out of the area, but Marissa then explained that if we did that, it would be nothing more than a waste of bullets, and we wouldn't run into major numbers of Guards until we reached the surface floors of the complex. She explained that the labs we were in were on the bottom floor of the facility, which was like a large underground building, and that a nearby elevator could possible take us to the top, where then exit through the main doors.

We moved quickly encountering nobody in the eerily deserted hallways. As we came up to the elevator Marissa had mentioned, she pointed out the security station next to it.

"I need to get in there to power on the elevator, it's locked down at all times, but my codes should work."

I nodded and we quickly moved in.

"Everybody down!", Marissa shouted, her voice muffled under her mask as she fired a shotgun shell into the ceiling. The four Guards in the room all reached for their weapons and I responded with a hail of gunfire from my rifle.

Marissa laughed, "Nice work."

I responded with a quick laugh as we approached the computers. Marissa sat down and started typing at an alarmingly fast rate, I was unable to keep up with her. She looked slightly frustrated, then smiled.

"There." She said calmly as she finished typing and looked over at the elevator as it started to whir to life.

"It's going to take a few minutes to power up and reach this floor. So you should sit down."

I nodded and took a seat next to her. We both removed our masks as we waited, and she kept typing.

"Damn, these things are hot to wear.", I laughed a bit.

She chuckled, "Yea, well we have to wear them constantly when we-. Oh, fuck."

I looked over, "What is it?"

She turned to me, "See for yourself."

I looked at the monitor to see it was now showing a security camera from one of the labs.

The camera showed several researchers, all Moroi, hurridly working and moving around various vials of serum. A few seconds later, Rose entered the room, limping, followed closely by the Queen.

I looked at Marissa, "Is there any sound?"

She nodded, "Just a second. There." I sat for a few minutes there, observing the conversation.

The Queen was sort of questioning Rose. "_How did he get out of his cell? Wasn't he being near starved?_"

Rose nodded, "_Yes, Your Majesty. But it was Marissa. I think she took one of the serums from the labs and gave it to him._"

The Queen looked at the researchers, "_Doctors, has anything gone missing in the last 24 hours._"

The researchers moved around and one of them came forward with a clipboard, "_Yes, Your Majesty. Test Solution #11426 wasn't logged into storage yesterday. We had assumed that it was just misplaced._" He shook his head, "_It was a failed solution, ma'am. It shouldn't have done anything, aside from kill him._"

Rose limped over and swiped the clipboard from his hands, "_Well, it obviously worked, now didn't it!_", she screamed, "_He managed to take me down after being starved for the last few days!_" Rose then turned and limped a few steps to the other side of the room, "_Is the final serum ready? Or has it been delayed again?_", Rose sounded more calm than before.

The doctors looked at each other, then back to Rose, "_We believe it is ready, but we cannot be sure without testing._"

Rose shook her head, "_Then test it on me. I'll take the prototype SCCS, go find the two of them, and blow their fucking heads off._"

The scientist looked at the others again, "_Well, I suppose we can do that, with your permission Queen Ivashkov._"

Tatiana sighed, "_I don't think we have much choice. Doctors, give Rose the new enhancements._" She turned to Rose,"_Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway, I hearby give you full permission to track down __these two threats to our security, and use any means necesarry to take them down. Permenantly._"

Rose smiled sadisticly and laughed, "_Your will be done, my Queen._" Rose bowed and the Queen turned and walked out of the room. After a few seconds, the doctors produced a few more vials and syringes, and as Rose sat down, they injected her with them in a similar way that Marissa had done to me a few hours earlier.

Rose stood and quickly, as well as without the limp, sprinted from the room.

I looked over to Marissa, "This isn't good. And what is the SCCS that Rose mentioned?"

Marissa shook her head, "I didn't think they had actually made it, and if they did, it's far to unpractical." She stopped talking and took a breath, "SCCS is an acronym, stands for _Self Contained Combat Suit._ It's essentially a full suit of clothing made completely from diamond woven kevlar and reinforced with steel trauma plates. The headwear consits of a specially made gas mask and helmet combined together that complete the sealed environment of the suit and thus makes it "_Self Contained_". It's heavy, thick, and makes the wearer immune to all nerve gases, firearms, and pretty much anything short of high grade explosives. Rose in that thing is pretty much indestructible. Unless we hit her in the head, she won't go down. She'll just keep attacking us."

I shook my head and wondered how the Queen could authorize anything like this to be designed, let alone built. But then again, the labs in this place were enough to demonstrate her ridiculous nature.

"Dimitri.", Marissa began, "We may not have a choice here. We need to get out of here, and Rose'll likely beat us to the entrance."

I shook my head and shood up. "Well then let's get moving, and make sure she _doesn't_ beat us there."

**Instead of putting song lyrics, I'll just list the songs I listened to while I wrote this.**

**_The Poet and the Pendulum - Nighwish_**

**_Bye Bye Beautiful - Nightwish_**

**_Whoever Brings the Night - Nightwish_**

**_Amaranth - Nightwish_**

**_Cadence of her Last Breath - Nightwish_**

**_Sahara - Nightwish_**

**_The Outsider - A Perfect Circle_**

**So remember, if you really don't think this is the right direction for the story, let me know, I can change it!  
-Nueemann :) **


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Alright, here is Chapter Sixteen, the final showdown between Rose and Dimitri. Not the end of the story, that'll be Seventeen. I may make a sequel, but it'll take a lot of reviews to convince me it's worth it.**

**Also, there's a few more weapon pictures on my profile page, just to give you an idea of what the weapons these characters are using look like.**

**Disclaimer: Go back and read it.**

**Chapter Sixteen**

I loaded a fresh magazine into my rifle and pulled the bolt back, taking satisfaction in the crisp click it made. Marissa did the same with her shotgun, replacing the shell she had fired earlier before we entered the elevator and began our ascent to the top floor.

Marissa looked at me, "Dimitri, you have to understand. If Rose gets in our way, we will have to kill her. There will be no way to get out of here with her alive."

I shook my head, "No. We will get out of here one way or another, and she isn't going to die."

Marissa sighed and shook her head, "No, I didn't say we were going to find her and kill her, I said that if she gets in our way, we will need to. God only knows what sort of weapons she's carrying now that she's even stronger."

I looked Marissa directly in the eye, "Look. There is NO way I am going to kill Rose. So stop suggesting it to me." I said those words with such passion that is scared her a bit.

The elevator dinged as it reached the top floor, and we both readied our weapons and perpared for the Guards that would likely be outside.

As the door opened, there wasn't anyone there. Or in the hallway we entered.

"This is odd. Something isn't right here.", Marissa sounded cautious and slightly nervous.

I shook my head, "Look, we have enough to worry about. Let's just get ourselves out of here before anyone notices us."

Marissa nodded and we moved accross the base, finding nobody at all, not even a researcher. As we neared the entrance to the facility, there was a sound, a very loud and audible sound, sort of like footsteps.

Just then, we spotted it's source, one that was undoubtedly Rose.

What looked like a person in a black body suit that was likely an inch or two thick walked around the corner and rasied a massive weapon. The voice also didn't sound anything like Rose. It didn't sound vaguely like a male or female voice, and had a very slight electronic undertone to it.

"Drop your weapons and get on the ground."

Marissa took one look at me and ducked into a nearby door leaving me alone.

Rose continued walking down the hallway, "Drop your fucking weapons and get on the ground or I will tear your motherfucking head off Dimiri."

I sighed and did as she asked, setting my rifle on the ground as she kept walking.

Rose laughed and spoke again, "Good, now get up and walk down this hallway, then take a left."

I did as she asked, walking slowly down the hall, then heading left. As we neared the end of that hall, I looked to the left and saw three elevators and a dozen armed Guards, along with Queen Tatiana herself.

She smiled on my approach, "Ah, Rose, you have brought Belikov back in one piece."

"As per your orders, your majesty."

I chuckled and smiled, "What, you wanted to kill me yourself?"

She kept smiling, "No. I have decided that, given your temendous performance, I am going to give you the oppurtunity to serve us. You and Rose are going to have a fight to the death. The winner shall be continuing to serve as a Guardian, and the loser, well, you get the idea."

I shook my head, "And what if I refuse?"

She sighed, "Well, then you die. I know Rose would love to kill you considering all the problems you've caused her."

I bit my lip, "Fine, I'll do it. But what am I supposed to do, fight against her with no weapons? She's in an armored suit."

Tatiana smiled, "Oh, don't worry. She will keep the suit, and you will have a suitable weapon."

She beckoned to the Guard behind her and he moved forward with a sword and handed it to me, "Wait, what is this supposed to do?"

The Queen smiled, "Rose's suit is good for gunfire, but there are a few weak points you might find with that sword. Now, please. Go."

The Queen and the Guards backed off and Rose tossed the gun to the other side of the room as if it weighed nothing.

We moved in circles for a moment or two, observing each other carefully, and finally, Rose struck out with great force, striking me in the stomach and knocking me over. I managed to get up before she could hit me again, and we continued fighting, striking out and blocking gracefully, until, eventually, I saw a point with almost no cover on Rose's right elbow, I slashed at it, cutting open the suit and her skin.

She screamed and as blood slowly trickled out, she continued to fight until there was a series of gunshots, then she screamed again.

I looked down the hall to see Marissa laying on the floor with the gun Rose had been carrying propped up by two legs on the front of it.

That suit of Rose's may have been immune to my rifle, but that machine gun she had tore through it. She fell over, and after a second, started to drag herself over to a nearby wall.

Several Guards turned to Marissa, and were mowed down by more gunfire. I moved over to Rose and removed the helmet and mask, I notice that she looked pale, and suspected that it was because of blood loss and shock from the wounds.

She looked up at me and within a second took one of the guns from it's holster, and while I expected her to shoot me, she instead took aim on the Queen, who had been standing, stunned and frightened while her Guards were shot down around her.

"Rose, don't!", I shouted at her, but it wasn't quick enough. Two gunshots rang out, and hit the Queen in the chest.

Rose started to chuckle, "Stupid Queen Bitch," she stopped and coughed up blood for a second, "I warned her to wear one of these vests of ours in case, but she didn't want to mess up her look." She coughed up some more blood, "I am sorry, Dimitri, I am sorry." She fell over, and I reached for her neck. She had a pulse, it was there, but it was weak.

I looked to Marissa, having taken care of the Guards, she walked over to me. "Marissa, can you heal her?"

She looked at me like I was insane, "What! After all the shit she's done, you want me to save her?"

I sighed, "Look, don't do it for me or her, do it for Lissa. Without Rose, Spirit will drive her insane!"

Marissa sighed and moved over. Tearing one of Rose's gloves off, she took her hand and I Watched as she sent energy through into Rose. After a few seconds, Rose stopped bleeding and Marissa let go, gasping.

"There, I think that should do. Now, we need to go back to the labs."

Now it was me who looked at her like she was insane, "Why are we going back down there?"

Marissa sighed, "The doctors have a reversal serum, we need three samples of it for us. Then, we need some help covering up this massacre."

I sighed and looked at Rose, who now sat there, unconcious, "Well, alright then."

I leaned down and kissed Rose on the forehead and whispered, "I'll be back soon."

And with that, we headed back to the elevator.

**Songs - There is a link to the Grooveshark playlist I use for writing on my profile, just see that. It's short, but I write quickly.**


	18. Chapter Seventeen The End

**Well, here's the final chapter, hope you all enjoy!**

**Chapter Seventeen**

I simply stood there watching Marissa as she had a very long and drawn out conversation with one of the Doctors. All I could gather was that they had developed what Marissa was looking for, but we all needed different doses of it, and they were doing the math to figue out how much we needed.

Marissa looked over at me and smiled, "I know you're bored, but we've done it."

I sighed, "Finally. So how much is this going to hurt?"

Marissa's smile dissapeared, "Well, I have been thinking. Do you really want to lose the strength you have? It won't harm you, although we certainly need to figure out why you have some of Spirit's powers and the fangs, but it would be helpful for both of us to keep what we have."

I was about to argue, but stopped to think for a second. She was right, it would only help us, but we needed to strip the strength from Rose, just in case she wasn't happy for what we'd done.

"Alright, but Rose needs to lose her strength, she just cannot be trusted with it."

Marissa nodded, "Just so you know, the doctors here have told me that the serum may not work on Rose due to the experimental drugs in her system. They think it will, but they've warned me it may not affect her."

I sighed and looked down, "Well, we'll just really have to hope it does."

Marissa recieved several syringes from a doctor and we went back to the elevator.

"So, what are we supposed to do with this whole place?"

Marissa chuckled, "Well, I have told the doctors to continue their work, and to work on another serum that will just increase a Guardian's reflexes, reaction time, and strength. And before you protest, remember that this project truly would benifit Guardians in the long run."

I smiled, "Makes sense, I guess. But what about the other projects and the Guards? And the Queen?"

Marissa shook her head, "Well, the other projects are being halted and their researchers are being moved to the new one, and the Guards are being taken care of. Please don't look any further into it."

I looked at her, "Please, please, PLEASE don't tell me you are having them killed."

She looked me in the eyes, "Seriously, don't ask. The less you know, the better. As for the Queen, well, we are going to publish a report that places the blame on a Strigoi attack. As for protection of this base, the other members of the Enlightened are going to take over that posistion, they only followed the Queen due to fear of being killed by Rose."

I smiled, "Suppose she deserved to have someone fear her."

We rode the elevator up and walked back to the entrance in scilence, and I started to worry when we reached our destination, and Rose was gone.

I looked around and all I found was a note.

_Dimitri and Marissa, I am obviously gone, and please don't look for me._

_If I've learned anything in the past few weeks it's that I am not made out to be an active Guardian. You can deny that fact all you want and call me selfish, but it's true. I need to find a purpose for my life. I am sure you will see me some day in the future. But for now, stay strong, stay positive, and protect Lissa. Do that for me, please.  
Rosemarie Hathaway._

"She's gone."

Marissa dashed over, "What?" She took the note from me. "This is ridiculous. But we aren't going to find her any time soon, so we should start cleaning this up."

I looked over at the pile of corpses, "I suppose you're right."

I started to help Marissa move the bodies into the elevators, and we headed to Court.

_**Epilogue**_

Over time, Dimitri came to terms with what had happened, and he kept hope that he would find Rose again some day. He went back to Guarding Lissa, and denied any help from other Guardians, insisting that he do it alone.

More restrictions were imposed on Court living following the announcment of Tatiana's death, but were lifted when a new Queen was chosen. There was much debate on who should take the title, and although many had insited on Lissa, it was decided that she was too young, and instead she would take the posistion when she was 21, and had completed her university education.

Marissa went back to a low profile office job at Court, and maintained strong but hidden ties to Dimitri and the new Queen, who knew what had happened, and made sure Marissa's life was comfortable.

_Dimitri's powers were later understood, but I am not explaining them here, maybe in the sequel._

Despite much searching, to this day, Tasha Ozera's body has never been found.

**Well, that's the end of my story. I would like to do a sequel, but I'd like to know if it's worth it, so be sure to review and let me know if you are all interested!**

**_For everybody who reads Uprising. READ THIS!_**

**I am hoping to continue and finish that BEFORE I do a sequel to this, so look forward to that!**

**Thanks for Reading Everyone! :)**


	19. Sequel Started

**READ THIS!**

**I have started the sequel to this story, it's called Science Meets Magic.**

**Find it on my Profile Page.**

**-Nueemann.**


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